Torpedo catcher



.I. MAY.

TORPEDO CATCHER. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 18. 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET INVENTOR WITNESSES ATTORNEY Patentd Nov. 25,1919.

I. MAY.

TORPEDO CAT CHER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 18. I319.

\ Patented Nov. 25, 1919.

2 SHEETS SHEET 2.

iNVENTOR ATTORNEY- JAMES MAY, 0]? RICHMOND'HILL, NEW YORK.

TORPEDO-CATGHEB.

Specification of Letters Patent.- Patented NQVQ25, 1919.

Application filed February is, 1919. serial No. 277,851.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES lv AY, i1, citizen of the United States, residing atRichmond Hill, in the county of Queens and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Torpedo-Catchers, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to torpedo guards, and more especially to those of that type known as nets; and the object of the same is to produce a floating torpedo, catcher which may be discharged from a gun on the-ship attacked, from a howitzer on shore or at some other point, or might be dropped from overhead.

The primary feature of the above invention consists in providing a bag-like net carried horizontally beneath a float with its open mouth directed toward the line along which the torpedo is approaching, so that the latter will run into and be trapped within the net. to retardand finally to check its progress until its propellingflforce is spent.

Another feature consists in providing the float with specially ,constructed retarding weights which must be dragged through the water by the progress of thetorpedo, whereby said progress is retarded vigorously and the torpedo cannot reach its mark.

Yet other objects will appear in the following specification and claims, andreference is directed to the accompanying drawings, in which i Figure 1 s a side elevation of this entire catcher, showing a torpedo'in dotted lines therein,

Fig. 2 is what might be called a front elevation thereof, and i v Fig.3'is a plan view, f 1 7 Figs. 4 and 5 area vertical section and P1811 View respectively ofone of the dragging weights. .7

I The body 1 ofthis device is buoyant, despite which it may be provided with 'pon- .toons 2 alongside it as shown. superposed upon what might be called thefront end of .of the body is aimed 3 carrying a plug' l overlying and spaced above the remaining portion of said body, which plug is tobe passed into the mouth of av gun, aghowitzer, or other machine by which the entire catcher is to be fired.

Rigidlysupportedby the body at-about the center-of its length is a ring 10 of some amplitude, the support in thlscase being poseyet to appearshown as brackets. Forward of this ring there may be another numbered 12, and rearward of it still another numbered 13, and longitudinalstraps 1 1 connect the several rings to hold them in alinement. Addi: tional brackets 15 may be employed to support the front ring. The latter carries tubular guides 16 throughzwhich ropes 17 lead downward from a Windlass 18 mounted within the hood and having on its shaft a ratchet-wheel 19 engaged by a pawl 20. This ratchet is pivoted at 21 and-its tail 22 stands above a head 23 at the upper end ofa plunger 24 slidably mounted through the base or body 1,1 and the lower end of this plunger carries a cupped plate 25 which, when the entire structure strikes. the surface of the water, will obviously be pushed upward so that the head of the plunger' will strike the tail of the pawl and trip the latter, thus releasing the ropes 17. The

When the Windlass is wound up as seen in V Fig. 1, theseweights are drawn upward against the forward ring '12 and the lower ends of the guides 16. 'When the device froin engagement by the pawl these weights descend and their ropes run through the guides and off the indlass, or in other words are automatically paid out for a pur- Carried by and beneath the rear portion of the body'or base'of this structure iswhat might be called a bag-shaped net. It is made up of a pluralityof rings 30 which, toward the front end of the bag, are subsanuauy of the samejsize as the fixed rings 1O, 12, and;13, but which toward the rear end of thebag decrease in size as seen at the left of Fig. 1. These rings are connected by chains 31 extendinglongitudinally of the bag along spaced lines, the connection being such that" when the bag is distended the rings are separated as shown in this view. Certain rings toward the front end of the bag-likenet have eyes 32 inthe shape of comparatively large "rings which slide on a guiderod '33 carried be h thfibody The front ring 30 is connected with the.

' strikesthe water and the ratchet is released 1,21 make :such changes in constructionand fixed ringlo by loops 34, The entire arrangement is such that the bag-like net may be collapsed into comparatively small" space when the catcher is to be stored or trans- I 5 ported. When a torpedo (see dotted lines T in Fig. 1) enters this bag it opens out the same. in a 11121111161 which will be clear o and the decrease in the size of the rings 30 toward the bottom of the bag causes the same to fit closely over the forward portion of the torpedo so asto trap it, as it were, while the smallest ring at thefextreme bottom ofthe'bag is of a size to permit the'cap'.

at the point of the torpedotolp'ass through but-to prevent the body ofany torpedo from passing. a

' ssuming new that. a: hip likel to b pedo T. "Now when the latter runs into one ofthese catchers, the bag-like netfi's dis-' 'tended asseen in Fig. 1', and the progress of the torpedo willbe checked before; itcan reach the threatenedship.- I The mushroom- V shaped weight will of course drag as seen in Y dotted lines at theright ofEFig. 1 under the Lforce of the torpedo whose, travel is there- "it'brfgraduallyi retarded, and, eventually its 40*progresswill be checked. siichlwould also beithecase ifthisdevice wereffired fromi'a gun or howitzer .on land, or if, it were i dropped from an air ship into the'watenpro- .vided only that the-mouth of the net stands open toward the approaching torpedo. 111 Fig. 2 T have shown flizSli'ght modifi cation, or rather amplification; This, "con sists of hanging'leopsf40 andvll from parts of the device, the'former from one ofthe may be hung withinthe forward' ring ifde- .sired. The obvious purposeisto enlarge the ;area into whichthepointofan approaching torpedo can, passfsoas tocheel; it o its career. l .i The foregoing description and; the draw- -ing s. have reference to. what may be con; fsidered the preferrechor approvedform of invention, It is to, be' 'under sto'od that I arrangement and combination offparts, materlals, d mensions, et ;'c'eter'a,; as may prove gexped entiand"fall. w thin the scope-of the appended claims.

these devices. l Vhen she is threatened by a described, and each floats witlri'ts rigid f ring 12 open toward the approachlng tor-w 7 by said ringfloats or pontoo'ns' and the latter from one 'oftherings :as-at 12. @In ,"factothe'se loops I-Tavingthus fullv described m y *inven tion, what I claim as new anddesire to securevby Letters Patent, is:

l. The herein described torpedo catcher comprising a float, a rod carried by andbeneath the same, and a collapsible bag-like netPslidably mounted on said rod.

2. The herein described torpedo catcher comprising a float, 'a'rod carried by and beneath the same, and a bag-like net madeup ofa plurality of rings decreased in size from one'end to the other andafseries of longitudinal chains connecting the rings, and eyes on said rings slidably mounted on saidrod. i

V 3. The-herein described torpedo, catcher, the same comprising a float, a ring rigidly carried beneath the'same and standing in avertical plane," and a bag-like net "whose mouth is connected with said ring, v v is. The 'herein'des'cribed torpedo catcher,

the same comprising a fioat, a ring rigidly carried'beneath the same and standing in-a vertical plane,"a rod carried by thefioat and standing above said ring, and a collapsible bag like netslidablymounted on said rod] and with itsmouth connected with the rigid ing-i j P; s.

;5. The. herein described torpedo-catcher, the same comprising a fio'at,a rigid skeleton structure carried-Rib and dependingjfrom said float, a baglike;net rmade up of a p n 'rality of rings decreasing in'si'ze fro'ni one 7 end of the series to the other and a set of longitudinal chains connecting the rings,

means for supporting said netlbeneath :the

'floatga rodbeneath thefioat, eyes on certain of said rings slid'ably; mounted 'on' the rod,

and links on the a. .7 a r n na o s s t with said skeleton structure. r

p ,6.' Ina torpedo catcher,'the'combination with a float,v a bag-like net' carried beneath h $3 nd. m ans, 0. hol ng th n with its axis horizontal"; :Of a rigid ring car- 7 ried beneath the float'forward fthe'mouth of said bag, and cup-shaped weights carried 7. In a torpedo catcher, thejcombination {with a float, a bag-like net carried beneath the same, andjflmeai'is for holdingfthe net with its axis horizontal; of arigidi ringcar riediv beneath the float forward'of, themouth [Of s d fba'sand lia ashrrishtsu s alons 'itsjsides, a Windlass o fthe' float, ropes wound; ther eoii and leading downward through said ui s, cup-l k W htsc rrie by e l e ds fls ropes, d mea s. o as n the n ass heii th eet k s t e, a er- I 8; In .a'torpedo catcher, the combi RitiQlL w th a; fl

as-li vn -1 car d en at the same, and means for-holding the, net

with its axis horizontalgpf a rigid ring carjried beneath the float forward of V the mouth of said bag and having'fupright guides along its sideadrag' ing weights, ropes connected its therewith and leading upward through said guides and to the float, and means for paying out said ropes when the float is dropped on the water.

9. In a torpedo catcher, the combination with a float, a bag-like net carried beneath the same, and means for holding the net with its axis horizontal; of a rigid ring carried beneath the float forward of the mouth of said bag and having upright guides along its sides, dragging weights, ropes connected therewith and leading upward through said guides and to the float, a Windlass on the float around which the ropes are wound, pawl-and-ratchet mechanism for holding said Windlass against rotation, a plunger slidable through the float and beneath the tail of the pawl, and a plate on the plunger moved upward by impact with the surface of the water, for the purpose set forth.

10. The herein described torpedo catcher comprising a float, a rod carried by and beneath the same, and a net made up of a plurality of rings decreased in size from one end to the other end, a flexible means connecting the rings together, and eyes on said rings slidably mounted on said rod.

11. The herein described torpedo catcher, the same comprising a float, a ring carried beneath the same and standing in a vertical plane and a net made up of a plurality of rinigs decreasing in-size from one end to the other and yieldable means connecting'the last mentioned rings to each other, and to the first mentioned rin 12. The herein described torpedo catcher,

the same comprising a float, a ring rigidly carried beneath the same and standing in a vertical plane, a net made up of a plurality of rings decreased in size from one end to the other, and yieldable means connecting said last mentioned rings to each other and to the fixed ring, and means connected to the fixed said last mentioned rings to each other and to said first mentioned ring, and cup shaped weights connected to the fixed ring to re tard movement thereof in one direction.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of a witness. JAMES MAY.

Witness:

WM. JEAMES. 

